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Desh ka chowkidaar chor hai, absolutely convinced that PM Modi is corrupt: Rahul Gandhi

Sep 22 (AZINS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a press conference on Saturday.

Following former French President François Hollande’s reported remarks that contradicted the Indian government's stand over the Rafale deal, Gandhi said, “For the first time, an ex-French President is calling our PM a thief. It is a question of the dignity of the office of Prime Minister. It is the question of the future of our jawans and the Air Force.”

Gandhi added that it was important for the prime minister to either accept Hollande’s statement or state that he was lying. “PM Modi should tell us the real truth,” Gandhi stated.

“We're absolutely convinced that the Prime Minister of India is corrupt. This question is now clearly settled in the mind of the Indian people that 'desh ka chowkidaar' chor hai’,” the Congress President added.

Alleging that PM Modi 'stole the HAL contract' to put a 'gift of Rs 30,000 crore in Anil Ambani's pockets' Gandhi said, "Manohar Parikkar, Arun Jaitley or Nirmala Sitharaman did not sign the Rafale deal. Modi ji did. He should reply. There should be a Joint Parliamentary Committee." 

Earlier, Gandhi claimed that PM Modi and Anil Ambani had 'jointly carried out 130,000 cr 'surgical strike' on defence forces.'.

Gandhi also said that PM Modi dishonoured blood of our martyred soldiers. "Shame on you. You betrayed India's soul."

On Friday, Hollande was quoted by a French publication as saying that the Indian government proposed Anil Ambani-led Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal and France did not have a choice.

Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with then French President Hollande on April 10,  2015  in Paris.

Spokesperson of France's Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs said thatthe French government had no role to play in choosing partner companies in India for the purpose of offsets contracts in the Rafale deal.

"The intergovernmental agreement signed on 23rd September 2016 between the French and Indian governments for supplying India with 36 Rafale aircraft concerns the obligations of the French government solely with regard to ensuring the delivery and quality of this equipment," reads the statement.

The French government said the inter-governmental agreement it signed with India for supplying 36 Rafale aircraft concerns its obligations solely with regard to ensuring the delivery and quality of the aircraft.

The Congress has also been demanding answers from the government on why state-run aerospace major HAL was not involved in the deal as finalised during the UPA. The opposition parties have also alleged that the Reliance Defence was formed just 12 days before the announcement of the Rafale deal by the prime minister on 10 April 2015. The Reliance group has rejected the charges.

Under India's offset policy, foreign defence entities are mandated to spend at least 30% of the total contract value in India through procurement of components or setting up of research and development facilities.

Ten days after India sealed the government-to-government agreement on the Rafale deal, Reliance Defence and Dassault had announced a joint venture (JV) in the aerospace sector and a year later, the foundation stone of a manufacturing facility was laid in Mihan, Nagpur.

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